Sheet-guide for pneumatically-actuated mechanism.



F. .l. CLARK.

SHEET GUIDE FOR PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED NOV- 27, I914. 1,158,639.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

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" citizen ofthe United States, and resident of f srA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

j FRANK J. CLARK, OF MILW UKEE. Wisconsin. 1'

To all whom izf mag concerni v 1 'Be'it known that I, FRANK J. CLAR a Milwaukee, in the county of" Milwaukee and State of 'Wisconsim'have' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet- ;Guides for Pneumatically-Actuated Mecha ;nism; and I-d'o hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and. exact descrip tion' thereof. i

My invention consists in what is herein particularly set forth with reference. to the accompanying drawings and pointed .outin the claims of thissp'ecification, its object being to provide simple, economical, highly sensitive and efiicient meansby which to insur'e' co'rr'ect travel of a perforated sheet across the-tracker-bar of a pneumatic piano player "or other pneumatically actuated "perforations in the sheet is had with corremechanism, whereby registration of all the sponding air-ducts in said tracker-bar.

i in Fig. 2.

" head-stock and 6 the tail'stock for the spool Figure 1 of the drawings representsa front elevation partly in section and it illustrates an application ofjmy improved means for guiding a perforated sheet across thetrackerbar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, 7

Fig. 2, aplan view partly in horizontal 'section on the 'plane indicated by line 22 in Fig. 1, and Fig.3, a'sectional view ofa debeing indicated by line. 3-3

tail, this view Iteferring by numerals to the drawings,.4 indicates a tracker-bar such as is-usually emp'loyed"in the spool box of a pneumatic piano-player or other-pneumatically actuated 'mechanism, 5 the' spring controlled 7 of a perforated sheet'8that unwinds from said spool onto a'take-up roller 9, the travel 7 of said sheetbeing across the tracker-bar close against the same. To attam-entirely satisfactory results, all the perforations of 'I the traveling sheet must coincide with airductsofthe tracker-bar and the automatic sheet-guide mechanism hereinafter specified is effective for that purpose}? 1 Supported in connection with the trackerbar or otherwise suitably arranged is a cylindrical chamber 10 open at one end to'atmosphere, and one or more ports 11 in the Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed November 27, 1914. Serial No. 874,106. i

the lever 13 is shown connected to a rod 14' l coupled, by a turn-buckle 15, to another rod 16 in connection with a lug of another lever 17. The lever 17 is shown fulcrumed inconnection withthe' tracker-bar and extends outward, at the front, through a slot in the same.

The sheet'8 unwinding from the spool ,7

onto the take-up roller 9 travels between the levers 13 and 17 but not in constant contact with either,-and the chamber-ports 11 are in air-hose 20 is shown connecting the tube '18 with a tube 21 extending from a'cell22 in a.

vacuum-block 23; Thespace 22in the block is partitioned-from the vacuum-cell 24 also therein by a diaphragm 25 having a bleed opening. 26 therein, andj'fitted in a port of the same cell isa tube 28 in-an endof an air-1 hose29 thatleads from a sourceof vacuum.

The vacuum-@1124: has a. port 30 open to a bellows 31, and the diaphrag1n'25is connected to the stem 32 of valves 33, 34, con trolling opposite ports of a passage 35 in the block23, this passage being in communicatlon with another bellows 36 of greaterair capacity than the one aforesaid, the-difference of air capacity of the twobellows being an important feature of my invention. i

The two-bellowsare connected by a link 37, and the bellows-31 of least air capacity is connected, by a link 38,.with an arm 39"0f a cam 39 having pivotal connection with a bracket 10 on a wall of the aforesaid spool-- 1 box, and the cam opposes the tail-stock 6 for the sheet-spool.

The operation of my invention, as thus far disclosed, is as follows: The valve 12 in the chamber '10 is movedto open or close the chamber outlet as aresult of lateral shifting of the traveling sheet 8 against the levers 13 and 17. Said outlet being open to atmosphere, the vacuum in the cell 2 1 is exerted upon the diaphragm 25 tovlift the valves 33 and 34, thus cutting off the passage 35'fro-m said cell and opening said passage to atmosphere. At the same time the vacuum is exerted upon the bellows 31,'and the collapsing. of this bellows results in a throw of the cam 39 in a direction to permit movement of the sheet-spool toward the 1 right, thus permitting the sheet to attack I, the lever 17 and effect aclosing of the chambar-outlet b-y thelva1ve'12. I This results in across the tracker-bar, all of the perforations of said sheet are caused to register wlth air-ducts of said bar. .In case a portion of the sheet 1s torn out at an edge of the same, the break in the continuity of such I edge will pass the opposing lever and there can beno sheet-pressure on sald lever durmg the time said break 1s passing. The

.lever 1'7 opposing an edge of the traveling sheet and in link connection with the lever 13 is one means by which to govern the movement of the valve 12, but without departure from my invention, as herein claimed,.other means for the same purpose may be substituted. Happening that there are imperfect perforated sheets that need tracking farther to the right or left, the head of the chamber 10 is centrally pivoted in connection with the tracker-bar, and a lateral arm -11 of said chamber is provided with a. pivotal nut l2 engaged by an adjusting screw 43 for which the tracker-bar is.

provided with a bearing, a milled head of the screw being shown forward of said bar. Hence the aforesaid chamber may be readily adjusted with respect to the valve 12 to compensate at the start for an imperfect perforated sheet that has travel across the tracker-bar. justably connected, by the turn-buckle union 15 of the rods 1% and 16, to provide for compensating for shrinkage or swelling of the perforated traveling sheet.

I claim:

1. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travel across a tracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, a pair of mechanically connected bellows of different air capacity one of which is con stantly open to vacuum, the other intermittently under the influence of vacuum and both in communication when the one of greatest air capacity is open to the vacuum; and means whereby said bellows of great est air capacity is controlled with reference to vacuum influence as a result of lateral shift of said sheet on said tracker-bar.

2. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travel across a tracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism a pair of connected bellows of different air capacity, a block having a vacuum cell therein in constant communication with the bellows of least air capacity, andra valve controlled The levers 13 and 17 are ad- 1 passage between said cell and the bellows of greatest air capacity, another cell in the block separated from the one aforesaid by a diaphragm provided with a. bleed opening and connected to valves governing said passage, means under the influence of the traveling sheet governing the opening and closing of the last named cell to atmosphere, and means in connection with said bellows of least air capacity governing endwise movement of a suspended spool from which said sheet is unwound.

3. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travel across a tracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, a pair of connected bellows. of different air capacity, a block having a vacuum cell therein in constant connnunication with the bellows of least air capacity and a valve controlled passage between said cell and the bellows of greatest air capacity, another cell in the block separated from the one aforesaid by a diaphragm provided with a. bleed opening and connected to valves: governing said passage, a suitably arranged cylindricalchamber open at one end to atmosphere and having outlet in communication with the cell last aforesaid, a rotary reciprocative valve in the chamber controlling the outlet therefrom, a valve-shifting mechanismto which the sheet has edgewise opposition, and means in connection. with the bellows of least air capacity governing endwise movement of a vsuspended spool from which said sheet unwinds.

4;. In a guide-mecl'lanism for a perforated sheet having travel across a tracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, a pair of connected bellows of different air capacity, a block having avacuum cell therein in constant communication with the bellows of least air capacity and a. valve controlled passage between said cell and the bellows of greatest air capacity, another cell in the block separated from the one aforesaid by a diaphragm provided with a bleed opening and connected to valves governing said passage, a. suitably arrangedcylindrical chamber open at one end to atmosphere and having outlet in communication with the cell last aforesaid, a. rotary reciprocative valve in the chamber controlling the outlet therefrom, a,valve-shiftingmechanism to which the sheet has edgewise opposition, a lever extending. from the valve to oppose an edge of the sheet, another lever arranged to oppose the other edge of said sheet, a link connecting the-levers, and means in connection with the bellows of least air capacity for governing endwise movement of a suspended spool from which the aforesaid sheet is unwound. r r

5.. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travelacross a tracker-bar of a pn uma i al y a tu te 1me mnism, av of connected bellows of different air capacity, a block having a vacuum cell therein in constant communication with the bellows of least air capacity and a valve controlled passage between said cell and the bellows of the sheet has edgewise opposition, a cam ar-' ranged in opposition to the tail-stock for the spool from which said sheet is unwound, and

a link connecting the cam with the bellows of least air capacity.

6. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travel across atracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, a pair of connected bellows of different air capacity,'a block having a vacuum cell therein in constant communication with the bellows of least air capacity and a valve controlled passage between said cell and the bellows of greatest air capacity, another cell in the block separatedfrom the one aforesaid by 'a diaphragm provided with a bleed opening and connected to valves governing said passage, a suitably arranged pivotally adjustable cylindrical chamber open at one end to atmosphere and having outlet in communication with the cell last aforesaid, a rotary reciprocative valve in the chamber controlling the outlet therefrom, a valve-shifting mechanism to whichthe sheet has edgewise opposition, and means in connection with the bellows of least air capacity governing endwise movement of a suspended spool from which said sheet unwinds.

7. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travel across a tracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, a pair of connected bellows of different air capacity, a block having a vacuum cell therein in constant communication with the bellows of least air capacity and a valve controlled passage between said cell and the bellows of greatest air capacity, another cell in the block separated from the one aforesaid by a diaphragm provided with a bleed opening v and connected to valves governing said passage, a cylindrical chamber in pivotal connection with a support and open at one end to atmosphere, an arm extending from the chamber, an adjusting screw in connection with the arm, a rotary reciprocative valve in the chamber controlling the outlet therefrom, a valve-shifting mechanism to which 7 the sheet has edgewise opposition, and means in connection with the bellows of least air capacity governing endwise movement of a suspended spool from which said sheet unwinds.

8. In a guide-mechanism for a perforated sheet having travel across a tracker-bar of a pneumatically actuated mechanism, a pair of connected bellows of different air capacity, a block havinga vacuum cell therein in constant communication with the bellows of least air capacity and a valve controlled passage between said cell and the bellows of greatest air capacity, another cell in the block separated from the one aforesaid by a diaphragm provided with a bleedopening and connected to valves governing said passage, a suitably arranged cylindrical chamber open at one end to atmosphere and'having outlet in communication with the cell last aforesaid, a rotary reciprocative valve in the chamber controlling the outlettherefrom, a pair of valve shifting levers between which the sheet travels, means by which said levers are adjustably connected, and means in connection with the bellows of least air capacity governing endwise movement of a suspended spool from which said sheet un winds. v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

. g FRANK J. CLARK.

, Witnesses:

N, E. OLIPHANT, M. E. DOWNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Y Washington, D. G. 

